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Voyageurs
Voyageurs has garnered praise for its historical versimilitude and its exacting character portraits, as well as the story's contemporary relevance. Margaret Elphinstone's magnificent sixth novel gives us Mark Greenhow, a naive and peaceful Quaker who lands on the shores of North America on the eve of the War of 1812, thinking only of finding the missing sister he has always admired for her adventurous spirit.
Mark hitches a ride with the voyageurs who have canoed the rivers, transporting the tons of furs that feed the trade that has made the region a battleground of the French and British empires. Though Mark enters this brave new world with his conscience clean and his convictions sound, his encounters test his rigid upbringing. The backwoods of Canada have certainly led his sister astray; she has been excommunicated from the Society of Friends for running off with a non-Quaker. After her child is stillborn she runs again, deep into Indian country.
Elphinstone's crisp and effortless prose, coupled with her riveting, organic descriptions, her fully drawn characters, and the history of the region, make this novel an astonishingly authentic and profoundly satisfying work of historical fiction.
Mark hitches a ride with the voyageurs who have canoed the rivers, transporting the tons of furs that feed the trade that has made the region a battleground of the French and British empires. Though Mark enters this brave new world with his conscience clean and his convictions sound, his encounters test his rigid upbringing. The backwoods of Canada have certainly led his sister astray; she has been excommunicated from the Society of Friends for running off with a non-Quaker. After her child is stillborn she runs again, deep into Indian country.
Elphinstone's crisp and effortless prose, coupled with her riveting, organic descriptions, her fully drawn characters, and the history of the region, make this novel an astonishingly authentic and profoundly satisfying work of historical fiction.
480 pages, Paperback
First published December 6, 2003
15 people are currently reading
462 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Elphinstone
39 books46 followersMargaret Elphinstone is a Scottish novelist. She studied at Queen's College in London and Durham University, where she graduated in English Language and Literature. She was until recently, Professor of Writing in the Department of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, now retired. Her academic research areas are Scottish writers and the literature of Scotland's offshore islands.
Elphinstone published her first futuristic novel in 1987. Her first historical novel, The Sea Road was published in 2000 and won won a Scottish Arts Council Spring Book Award. She is also the author of Lost People (Wild Game Publications, 2024) The Gathering Night (Canongate Books, 2009), Gato (Sandstone Press, 2007), Light (Canongate Books, 2006), Voyagers (Canongate Books, 2003), Hy Brasil (Canongate Books, 2002), Islanders (Polygon, 1994), Apple from a Tree (Women's Press, 1990), A Sparrow's Flight (Polygon, 1989), and The Incomer (Women's Press, 1987).
She did extensive study tours in Iceland, Greenland, Labrador and the United States. She lived for eight years in the Shetland Islands and is the mother of two children.
Elphinstone published her first futuristic novel in 1987. Her first historical novel, The Sea Road was published in 2000 and won won a Scottish Arts Council Spring Book Award. She is also the author of Lost People (Wild Game Publications, 2024) The Gathering Night (Canongate Books, 2009), Gato (Sandstone Press, 2007), Light (Canongate Books, 2006), Voyagers (Canongate Books, 2003), Hy Brasil (Canongate Books, 2002), Islanders (Polygon, 1994), Apple from a Tree (Women's Press, 1990), A Sparrow's Flight (Polygon, 1989), and The Incomer (Women's Press, 1987).
She did extensive study tours in Iceland, Greenland, Labrador and the United States. She lived for eight years in the Shetland Islands and is the mother of two children.
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December 24, 2022
A compelling story of furs, love and war in colonial Canada!
In the early years of the nineteenth century, life in the harsh, northern wilderness of Upper and Lower Canada is a mentally and physically demanding pioneering existence made even more difficult and tenuous by the politics of the War of 1812. Rachel Greenhow, a young Quaker from Scotland responds to her calling as a missionary by emigrating to Canada and ministering to the early settlers in Ontario, the voyageurs of the North West Company and the aboriginal native tribes along the fur trade routes between Montreal and Michilimackinac. The realities of pioneer life in the Canadian boreal forest and her faith come into conflict as she falls in love with Mark Mackenzie, a fur trade agent, and marries outside the Society of Friends. Despondent over the loss of her first child and her expulsion from the Society because of her marriage, she wanders into the forest on an island in northern Lake Michigan and disappears without a trace.
One might be forgiven for cracking open this novel expecting adventure, a swashbuckling account of a fast-paced rescue and tales of derring-do! In fact, it is anything but! VOYAGEURS is an exquisitely detailed first person account of Mark Greenhow's two year search for his lost sister with the assistance of Loic Kerners, a mixed breed outdoorsman of Indian and Scottish parents, and Alan Mackenzie, Rachel's husband and agent provocateur under direct orders from General Sir Isaac Brock to recruit native support for Canada inside US territory. While it is certainly not languid or plodding, the pacing of the novel and the enormous volume of the detail might be described as at once overwhelming and tortuous as well as frightening and breathtaking, an apt metaphor for the monumental difficulties that a voyageur of the North West Company might face in his every day working life and the compelling setting in which the story takes place - waterfalls and rapids; excruciating clouds of mosquitoes or black flies; extreme temperature swings; backbreaking 90 to 100 pound loads hauled over strenuous ankle-breaking portages; the open water of the Great Lakes that might better be described as inland oceans when observed from the perspective of a canoe; changeable unpredictable weather; the dumb-founding athleticism of ten to twelve men paddling in perfect synchrony at 50 strokes per minute for hours on end singing, if you please, to provide a rhythm and take their minds off the numbing pain in their backs and shoulders.
VOYAGEURS is peppered throughout with themes of conflict and tension - the yet to be formed Canada versus a newly established US flexing its muscles at only loosely defined borders; a corporate turf war between the North West and the South West fur companies; Quaker moral standards and resolute strictures against alcohol, weapons, licentiousness and fighting constantly under assault by the exigencies of frontier living and simply staying alive in the context of war; European culture versus aboriginal culture; aboriginal peoples already dealing with the broken promises of treaties with the white man; Mark's ongoing moral dilemma of traveling and living with Alan who clearly lives by a code of conduct virtually anathema to the rules of the Society of Friends.
The ending comes, in a sense, as an anti-climax. While Rachel's life is resolved in a satisfying, realistic and almost fatalistic fashion, there are readers that will be disappointed by the fact that there is no story book romanticism or heart-rending emotion in Elphinstone's resolution of Mark's exhausting search. She has caught us completely unawares at the end of the novel leaving Mark's journal to simply come to a halt with a series of blank pages. Elphinstone has demonstrated very clearly that, while any individual's life may be described in whole or in part and may even reach a completion of sorts, the conflicts, tensions, issues and events around us usually unfold without any particular reference to us as individuals and will probably continue after we leave the scene - regardless of the form that departure might take!
Two thumbs up for a unique story about the fur trade in colonial Canada!
Paul Weiss
In the early years of the nineteenth century, life in the harsh, northern wilderness of Upper and Lower Canada is a mentally and physically demanding pioneering existence made even more difficult and tenuous by the politics of the War of 1812. Rachel Greenhow, a young Quaker from Scotland responds to her calling as a missionary by emigrating to Canada and ministering to the early settlers in Ontario, the voyageurs of the North West Company and the aboriginal native tribes along the fur trade routes between Montreal and Michilimackinac. The realities of pioneer life in the Canadian boreal forest and her faith come into conflict as she falls in love with Mark Mackenzie, a fur trade agent, and marries outside the Society of Friends. Despondent over the loss of her first child and her expulsion from the Society because of her marriage, she wanders into the forest on an island in northern Lake Michigan and disappears without a trace.
One might be forgiven for cracking open this novel expecting adventure, a swashbuckling account of a fast-paced rescue and tales of derring-do! In fact, it is anything but! VOYAGEURS is an exquisitely detailed first person account of Mark Greenhow's two year search for his lost sister with the assistance of Loic Kerners, a mixed breed outdoorsman of Indian and Scottish parents, and Alan Mackenzie, Rachel's husband and agent provocateur under direct orders from General Sir Isaac Brock to recruit native support for Canada inside US territory. While it is certainly not languid or plodding, the pacing of the novel and the enormous volume of the detail might be described as at once overwhelming and tortuous as well as frightening and breathtaking, an apt metaphor for the monumental difficulties that a voyageur of the North West Company might face in his every day working life and the compelling setting in which the story takes place - waterfalls and rapids; excruciating clouds of mosquitoes or black flies; extreme temperature swings; backbreaking 90 to 100 pound loads hauled over strenuous ankle-breaking portages; the open water of the Great Lakes that might better be described as inland oceans when observed from the perspective of a canoe; changeable unpredictable weather; the dumb-founding athleticism of ten to twelve men paddling in perfect synchrony at 50 strokes per minute for hours on end singing, if you please, to provide a rhythm and take their minds off the numbing pain in their backs and shoulders.
VOYAGEURS is peppered throughout with themes of conflict and tension - the yet to be formed Canada versus a newly established US flexing its muscles at only loosely defined borders; a corporate turf war between the North West and the South West fur companies; Quaker moral standards and resolute strictures against alcohol, weapons, licentiousness and fighting constantly under assault by the exigencies of frontier living and simply staying alive in the context of war; European culture versus aboriginal culture; aboriginal peoples already dealing with the broken promises of treaties with the white man; Mark's ongoing moral dilemma of traveling and living with Alan who clearly lives by a code of conduct virtually anathema to the rules of the Society of Friends.
The ending comes, in a sense, as an anti-climax. While Rachel's life is resolved in a satisfying, realistic and almost fatalistic fashion, there are readers that will be disappointed by the fact that there is no story book romanticism or heart-rending emotion in Elphinstone's resolution of Mark's exhausting search. She has caught us completely unawares at the end of the novel leaving Mark's journal to simply come to a halt with a series of blank pages. Elphinstone has demonstrated very clearly that, while any individual's life may be described in whole or in part and may even reach a completion of sorts, the conflicts, tensions, issues and events around us usually unfold without any particular reference to us as individuals and will probably continue after we leave the scene - regardless of the form that departure might take!
Two thumbs up for a unique story about the fur trade in colonial Canada!
Paul Weiss
July 11, 2020
‘Voyageurs’ by Margaret Elphinstone is a satisfying historical read designed for teen readers, I think, although older readers who enjoy history will probably figure out what the author either leaves unsaid or lightly glosses over. She doesn’t avoid the bad or earthier stuff of life, but she does tread lightly.
Naive Mark Greenhow, a Quaker, sets out from his father’s small English farm to find his wayward sister, Rachel, lost somewhere in 1811 Canada. He is a stiff-necked prig at age twenty-three, completely unaware of what is happening in the world. However, farm work and an upbringing which allowed him some freedom to stretch the bindings of his religion on his behavior has given him a self-confidence which is perhaps not completely warranted.
When he arrives in Quebec after a sea voyage of several weeks, he is surprised to learn a different language is spoken by the inhabitants. He knew men swear and women with forward behaviors existed, but he can hardly withstand the shocks of hearing and seeing these things all about him in the city. Everyone dresses more colorfully than what he is used to, and women are wearing dresses with very low necklines. Mark doesn’t dare look too much around him except for what is necessary. He has never seen such things before. Respect for his simple grey clothes and hat seems to be lacking as well, although people know what he is immediately.
Quakers have settled around Canada and America. Mark has a letter of introduction, called a Minute, to the Canadian Society of Quakers. He wants to see relatives as well, especially Aunt Judith. Judith Scott and Rachel had left the port of Whitehaven for Quebec to minister in 1808. Rachel met a man, Alan Mackenzie, outside the Quaker faith and married him in 1809. Alan was a fur trader for the North West Company. This marriage forced the Quakers to disown Rachel. Judith’s letter to the family said Alan and Rachel traveled into the Michigan Territory where military outposts and Indian tribes were. Then, a letter arrived from Alan describing how Rachel had disappeared in 1810 from an island in Lake Huron. Mark plans to follow the clues from Rachel’s and Judith’s letters to retrace Rachel’s path.
Mark needs much more help in traveling around Canada than he originally realizes. He is very slow, in fact, absolutely stupid gentle reader, in comprehending how different the vast forests and rivers of Canada are from England’s bucolic farming countryside. He also was not aware a war was brewing between America and Canada. Mark cannot see how this war has anything to do with him, a pacifist. He also has the idea the land is mostly empty of people since he is completely ignorant of Indians and their communities, as well as of the alliances being forged between British soldiers and various Indian tribes in order to kill Americans. The Indians are spread out all over the wilderness. They have been enraged by the Americans closing the border between French/British Canada to stop all trading with Canadians. Some are participating in the war, others are not.
Gradually, Mark begins to become aware of the different cultures and religions surrounding him. He is as slow as molasses in understanding the politics and dangers! In the meantime, readers are given an interesting tour of Canada as it was in 1812, and of the peculiar customs of a shadow war of proxies as Mark learns how to paddle a canoe and put up a camp in bear country. Mark sometimes forgets the point of his journey because he is so flummoxed by the polyglot mixture of languages and different peoples. The country itself scares him with its thickly forested and rain-dampened mucky lands.
Is his sister dead? Was she kidnapped? Is it possible a greenhorn brother who refuses to arm himself with a weapon can find her if she lives?
I thought the novel very interesting in its portrayal of the Great Lakes region in 1812. The war that happened between British Canada and America is not well known, but it happened. Mark is an interesting character in that he grows up before our eyes as he learns there are many more religions and cultures than he had had a clue of. However, I think the book is aimed at a younger audience than myself or maybe one that is overly anxious about descriptions of violence and sex. Everything nasty to religious or innocent sensitivities is described in very polite, or brief, allusions. To me, this book is practically a cozy. Edgy, but a cozy nonetheless. Weird, given the subject matter. But I gave it four stars because of the well-researched historical background by the author, and my assumption the book is for fifteen-year-old girls with protective parents or for thirteen-year-old boys who haven’t blunted their EQ through playing violent video games yet.
Naive Mark Greenhow, a Quaker, sets out from his father’s small English farm to find his wayward sister, Rachel, lost somewhere in 1811 Canada. He is a stiff-necked prig at age twenty-three, completely unaware of what is happening in the world. However, farm work and an upbringing which allowed him some freedom to stretch the bindings of his religion on his behavior has given him a self-confidence which is perhaps not completely warranted.
When he arrives in Quebec after a sea voyage of several weeks, he is surprised to learn a different language is spoken by the inhabitants. He knew men swear and women with forward behaviors existed, but he can hardly withstand the shocks of hearing and seeing these things all about him in the city. Everyone dresses more colorfully than what he is used to, and women are wearing dresses with very low necklines. Mark doesn’t dare look too much around him except for what is necessary. He has never seen such things before. Respect for his simple grey clothes and hat seems to be lacking as well, although people know what he is immediately.
Quakers have settled around Canada and America. Mark has a letter of introduction, called a Minute, to the Canadian Society of Quakers. He wants to see relatives as well, especially Aunt Judith. Judith Scott and Rachel had left the port of Whitehaven for Quebec to minister in 1808. Rachel met a man, Alan Mackenzie, outside the Quaker faith and married him in 1809. Alan was a fur trader for the North West Company. This marriage forced the Quakers to disown Rachel. Judith’s letter to the family said Alan and Rachel traveled into the Michigan Territory where military outposts and Indian tribes were. Then, a letter arrived from Alan describing how Rachel had disappeared in 1810 from an island in Lake Huron. Mark plans to follow the clues from Rachel’s and Judith’s letters to retrace Rachel’s path.
Mark needs much more help in traveling around Canada than he originally realizes. He is very slow, in fact, absolutely stupid gentle reader, in comprehending how different the vast forests and rivers of Canada are from England’s bucolic farming countryside. He also was not aware a war was brewing between America and Canada. Mark cannot see how this war has anything to do with him, a pacifist. He also has the idea the land is mostly empty of people since he is completely ignorant of Indians and their communities, as well as of the alliances being forged between British soldiers and various Indian tribes in order to kill Americans. The Indians are spread out all over the wilderness. They have been enraged by the Americans closing the border between French/British Canada to stop all trading with Canadians. Some are participating in the war, others are not.
Gradually, Mark begins to become aware of the different cultures and religions surrounding him. He is as slow as molasses in understanding the politics and dangers! In the meantime, readers are given an interesting tour of Canada as it was in 1812, and of the peculiar customs of a shadow war of proxies as Mark learns how to paddle a canoe and put up a camp in bear country. Mark sometimes forgets the point of his journey because he is so flummoxed by the polyglot mixture of languages and different peoples. The country itself scares him with its thickly forested and rain-dampened mucky lands.
Is his sister dead? Was she kidnapped? Is it possible a greenhorn brother who refuses to arm himself with a weapon can find her if she lives?
I thought the novel very interesting in its portrayal of the Great Lakes region in 1812. The war that happened between British Canada and America is not well known, but it happened. Mark is an interesting character in that he grows up before our eyes as he learns there are many more religions and cultures than he had had a clue of. However, I think the book is aimed at a younger audience than myself or maybe one that is overly anxious about descriptions of violence and sex. Everything nasty to religious or innocent sensitivities is described in very polite, or brief, allusions. To me, this book is practically a cozy. Edgy, but a cozy nonetheless. Weird, given the subject matter. But I gave it four stars because of the well-researched historical background by the author, and my assumption the book is for fifteen-year-old girls with protective parents or for thirteen-year-old boys who haven’t blunted their EQ through playing violent video games yet.
March 23, 2017
I thought Voyageurs was excellent. I tried it on the recommendation of a friend and I'm very glad I did: it was involving, fascinating, extremely well written and completely gripping.
Set in 1811, the story is narrated by Mark Greenhow, a Quaker farmer in Cumberland whose sister travels to Canada and goes missing in the Canadian wilderness. Mark travels after her to try to find her, following the fur-trading routes in canoes paddled by the voyageurs of the title. It is a long, hard but fascinating journey; Margaret Elphinstone paints a remarkably vivid and superbly researched picture of life at the time, with wars, political chicanery, the lives of the native tribes and the perils of frontier life. She also brings us very believable characters and some exciting adventures, and makes subtle but important points about family ties, friendship, integrity and much else.
It is beautifully written. I found Marks' voice utterly convincing and a pleasure to read. It's a very rich book, but one of the things I loved was the way Mark struggled with his feelings and the strict Quaker rules he has always lived by, and how he manages to adapt and sometimes "fall" while never losing his fundamental integrity and principles – and how his reputation as an honest, principled man can sometimes protect him where the threat of violence would not.
I found this gripping, touching and full of thoughtful, readable stuff. Very warmly recommended.
Set in 1811, the story is narrated by Mark Greenhow, a Quaker farmer in Cumberland whose sister travels to Canada and goes missing in the Canadian wilderness. Mark travels after her to try to find her, following the fur-trading routes in canoes paddled by the voyageurs of the title. It is a long, hard but fascinating journey; Margaret Elphinstone paints a remarkably vivid and superbly researched picture of life at the time, with wars, political chicanery, the lives of the native tribes and the perils of frontier life. She also brings us very believable characters and some exciting adventures, and makes subtle but important points about family ties, friendship, integrity and much else.
It is beautifully written. I found Marks' voice utterly convincing and a pleasure to read. It's a very rich book, but one of the things I loved was the way Mark struggled with his feelings and the strict Quaker rules he has always lived by, and how he manages to adapt and sometimes "fall" while never losing his fundamental integrity and principles – and how his reputation as an honest, principled man can sometimes protect him where the threat of violence would not.
I found this gripping, touching and full of thoughtful, readable stuff. Very warmly recommended.
December 4, 2013
Every few years, in the service of boosting or gutting public education, someone interviews high school seniors to demonstrate how little Americans know about their own history. Typically, from these studies we learn that Ben Franklin invented lightning or that Noah Webster saved the stars and stripes by collecting them two-by-two on the Arc de Triumph.
Into this dark climate dares come a marvelous historical novel called "Voyageurs." Margaret Elphinstone garnered rave reviews in England last year, but in the American market, her book is a perfect storm for commercial disaster, a combination of conditions and subjects that could sink even the best writer: It's really long; it's set against the most obscure conflict in American history, the War of 1812; it takes place mostly in Canada; and it's narrated by an earnest Quaker.
Abandon ship!
Fortunately, the British publisher, Canongate, is relatively new to the American market or it might not have had the optimism to release "Voyageurs" here, and we would have missed this rich and moving novel.
Elphinstone presents the story as a manuscript found in the attic of her house during remodeling in 2003. The author of these faded pages was a Englishman named Mark Greenhow, who begins, "I would be content even now were it not for my sister Rachel." And so we're drawn into this tale of reflection and adventure, back to 1809, when Mark and his parents received anxious, infrequent letters about Rachel's missionary work in the most remote forests of Canada.
She was traveling with a devout aunt to spread the Light among the natives, but she fell under the spell of a slick fur trader named Alan McKenzie. When she married him, their Quaker society back home in England disowned her in abstentia, as she knew they would. But the next letter brings even more dire news: After losing her first baby, Rachel wandered into the Canadian wilderness and was never seen again.
For Mark, this disaster culminates a lifelong burden of looking after his strong-willed sister. "She was never one to worry about the way back," he writes. "I knew, though, from early on, that it was my place to worry about it for her. Rachel expected that of me, and so did my parents; indeed, it is what I expected of myself."
A letter from Rachel's husband, Alan, confirms that the case is hopeless, but Mark resolves to make the journey from England to Quebec and then on to the Great Lakes. As he moves into this territory, he also ventures into the thickly grown complexity of sibling affection and resentment.
"I was hugely, furiously angry with Rachel," he realizes one morning, shivering in a damp blanket. "All her life she'd asked me for things. All her life I'd taken what she dealt out. All her life I'd had to accommodate her, to live with her, rescue her, listen to her...." Then he must admit, "But I could never help admiring Rachel too."
Almost all of the book concerns his remarkable, hopeless search for her. Mark covers half of Canada with a team of fur traders, men who paddle 40-foot canoes for 15 hours a day and carry 180-pound packs.
If you're not an American high school senior, you may know that 1812 was a particularly dangerous time to be drifting around the Great Lakes. The United States was locked in a trade war that escalated into a real war against an uneasy alliance of British fur companies and hostile Indians. Amid the sound of war drums, Mark finds himself pursuing his sister in a political climate that's as treacherous as the forests that swallowed her.
His voyage, of course, is both external and internal. "For the first time in my life I was standing on foreign soil," he writes, "and I was no longer sure of anything." His brother-in-law, Alan, is likable but duplicitous, a foil to his own plain-spoken honesty and Quaker ethics. Mark thinks he can move through this land under his brother-in-law's guidance without becoming entangled in Alan's military and financial intrigue, but that proves impossibly naive.
Indeed, many of Mark's principles are tested in this dark wood. Elphinstone has created a humble and courageous hero, a man historically and culturally remote, but strikingly relevant to our own age of war. What's particularly wonderful about "Voyageurs" is the chance to linger in the company of someone struggling with his faith, his responsibilities to others and to God. And the modern irony that could have spiked this story remains at bay, even while touches of archaic diction render him all the more authentic.
Confronted by warriors who torture their prisoners to death and soldiers from both sides who suspect spies everywhere, Mark finds his Quaker pacifism much harder to maintain than it was back on the farm in England. "I fear that I am no more than half a man," he writes, "having not the courage of my convictions."
Slowly, he develops a broader sense of God's expression in the world. From the Indians, he learns to explore the mystical elements of his own faith tradition. And though he can be something of a humorless prig (the list of great Quaker comics is short), he eventually lets down his guard and experiments with a variety of small abominations, such as storytelling, poetry, music, and even humming (egads!). Like President Clinton, he smokes, but doesn't inhale; unlike President Clinton, he takes advantage of a young woman, but confesses sincerely.
Ultimately, Mark doesn't find what he hoped for, but he doesn't fail in the way he feared he might. Through it all, he's so disarmingly honest that his whole story, told in this plain and simple style, serves as an arresting antidote for our own time, so hopelessly opposed to quiet reflection. A long book is always a risky trek into uncharted territory, but this is a guide worth following.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0817/p1...
Into this dark climate dares come a marvelous historical novel called "Voyageurs." Margaret Elphinstone garnered rave reviews in England last year, but in the American market, her book is a perfect storm for commercial disaster, a combination of conditions and subjects that could sink even the best writer: It's really long; it's set against the most obscure conflict in American history, the War of 1812; it takes place mostly in Canada; and it's narrated by an earnest Quaker.
Abandon ship!
Fortunately, the British publisher, Canongate, is relatively new to the American market or it might not have had the optimism to release "Voyageurs" here, and we would have missed this rich and moving novel.
Elphinstone presents the story as a manuscript found in the attic of her house during remodeling in 2003. The author of these faded pages was a Englishman named Mark Greenhow, who begins, "I would be content even now were it not for my sister Rachel." And so we're drawn into this tale of reflection and adventure, back to 1809, when Mark and his parents received anxious, infrequent letters about Rachel's missionary work in the most remote forests of Canada.
She was traveling with a devout aunt to spread the Light among the natives, but she fell under the spell of a slick fur trader named Alan McKenzie. When she married him, their Quaker society back home in England disowned her in abstentia, as she knew they would. But the next letter brings even more dire news: After losing her first baby, Rachel wandered into the Canadian wilderness and was never seen again.
For Mark, this disaster culminates a lifelong burden of looking after his strong-willed sister. "She was never one to worry about the way back," he writes. "I knew, though, from early on, that it was my place to worry about it for her. Rachel expected that of me, and so did my parents; indeed, it is what I expected of myself."
A letter from Rachel's husband, Alan, confirms that the case is hopeless, but Mark resolves to make the journey from England to Quebec and then on to the Great Lakes. As he moves into this territory, he also ventures into the thickly grown complexity of sibling affection and resentment.
"I was hugely, furiously angry with Rachel," he realizes one morning, shivering in a damp blanket. "All her life she'd asked me for things. All her life I'd taken what she dealt out. All her life I'd had to accommodate her, to live with her, rescue her, listen to her...." Then he must admit, "But I could never help admiring Rachel too."
Almost all of the book concerns his remarkable, hopeless search for her. Mark covers half of Canada with a team of fur traders, men who paddle 40-foot canoes for 15 hours a day and carry 180-pound packs.
If you're not an American high school senior, you may know that 1812 was a particularly dangerous time to be drifting around the Great Lakes. The United States was locked in a trade war that escalated into a real war against an uneasy alliance of British fur companies and hostile Indians. Amid the sound of war drums, Mark finds himself pursuing his sister in a political climate that's as treacherous as the forests that swallowed her.
His voyage, of course, is both external and internal. "For the first time in my life I was standing on foreign soil," he writes, "and I was no longer sure of anything." His brother-in-law, Alan, is likable but duplicitous, a foil to his own plain-spoken honesty and Quaker ethics. Mark thinks he can move through this land under his brother-in-law's guidance without becoming entangled in Alan's military and financial intrigue, but that proves impossibly naive.
Indeed, many of Mark's principles are tested in this dark wood. Elphinstone has created a humble and courageous hero, a man historically and culturally remote, but strikingly relevant to our own age of war. What's particularly wonderful about "Voyageurs" is the chance to linger in the company of someone struggling with his faith, his responsibilities to others and to God. And the modern irony that could have spiked this story remains at bay, even while touches of archaic diction render him all the more authentic.
Confronted by warriors who torture their prisoners to death and soldiers from both sides who suspect spies everywhere, Mark finds his Quaker pacifism much harder to maintain than it was back on the farm in England. "I fear that I am no more than half a man," he writes, "having not the courage of my convictions."
Slowly, he develops a broader sense of God's expression in the world. From the Indians, he learns to explore the mystical elements of his own faith tradition. And though he can be something of a humorless prig (the list of great Quaker comics is short), he eventually lets down his guard and experiments with a variety of small abominations, such as storytelling, poetry, music, and even humming (egads!). Like President Clinton, he smokes, but doesn't inhale; unlike President Clinton, he takes advantage of a young woman, but confesses sincerely.
Ultimately, Mark doesn't find what he hoped for, but he doesn't fail in the way he feared he might. Through it all, he's so disarmingly honest that his whole story, told in this plain and simple style, serves as an arresting antidote for our own time, so hopelessly opposed to quiet reflection. A long book is always a risky trek into uncharted territory, but this is a guide worth following.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0817/p1...
February 21, 2015
At first, I just loved this book. Mark is a young Quaker farmer living in Mungrisdale in Cumberland in the early 19th century. I spend a lot of my time in the Lake District so I loved all the references to the hills and towns. He talks about the Quaker Meeting House and I've passed it many times. Mark's sister, Rachel, disappears while in Canada. She had been cast out by the Quaker community as she had run off with a man (she wasn't particularly suited to the strictures of Quaker life anyway!). Mark travels to Canada to look for her. So far, so good. The book is very well researched. The descriptions of the sea journey, his arrival in Montreal, his shock at the scandalous behaviour of people - Quakers lived a very austere and simple life then and were made fun of by others - which eventually transforms into acceptance as he journeys into the interior with the voyageurs, the traders of the title. It is all very interesting but somehow, halfway through, I got bored with the pace and with Mark's theeing and thouing and general wonderment at everything. I'm giving it 3 stars on the grounds that it is well researched and interesting but doesn't have a gripping enough story to keep me with it. I haven't finished it but won't hand it in to the charity shop yet as I may well pick it up again in a couple of months if I can't live without knowing what happened to Rachel.
May 3, 2014
Well worth reading - the start is somewhat contrived which makes getting into the book difficult but once over the introduction the book takes the boy from the English lakes to the Canadian lakes in search of his lost sister. The book is set in the commercial and politic intrigues of early 19th century north America. The descriptions of canoeing across Canada with large loads of merchandise are engrossing. The search for the long lost sister seems a hopeless venture, particular as she had been disowned by her faith group and was suffering post- natal depression when she went missing. You feel that even if she was still alive that she would probably not want to be found. Mark, that upright and honest Quaker struggles to maintain his faith when faced with challenges and compromises in the Canadian outback. Well written, moving tale.
July 19, 2012
3.5 stars. The Canadian history buff in me loved this book. I believe the author did a fabulous job of the historical element and the quaker element was quirky. The plot, however, was middling though. I wanted more excitement.
January 6, 2019
" ... and fairly grat like a bairn."
J'ai dégusté ce livre à la petite cuillère, pris deux mois pour le lire. Le niveau de langue est clairement au dessus du mien, et de celui de reverso ... Mais la syntaxe reste accessible et l'histoire d'une simplicité lumineuse. La complexité surannée du vocabulaire a ralenti plus qu'entravé ma lecture.
L'histoire nous ramène dans des temps où l'Amérique du Nord était encore la terre des Indiens et des trappeurs, anglais et français. L'appétit des colons Yankees menace cependant déjà. Nous traversons lentement, avec le héros, un jeune Quaker, des paysages non pas inviolés mais habités et respectés par les indiens. Il y a de jolies considérations sur la religion et la tolérance.
Par hasard, et en parallèle, j'ai lu Station Eleven qui se déroule dans la même région mais dans le futur ...! Pauvre terre ....
J'ai dégusté ce livre à la petite cuillère, pris deux mois pour le lire. Le niveau de langue est clairement au dessus du mien, et de celui de reverso ... Mais la syntaxe reste accessible et l'histoire d'une simplicité lumineuse. La complexité surannée du vocabulaire a ralenti plus qu'entravé ma lecture.
L'histoire nous ramène dans des temps où l'Amérique du Nord était encore la terre des Indiens et des trappeurs, anglais et français. L'appétit des colons Yankees menace cependant déjà. Nous traversons lentement, avec le héros, un jeune Quaker, des paysages non pas inviolés mais habités et respectés par les indiens. Il y a de jolies considérations sur la religion et la tolérance.
Par hasard, et en parallèle, j'ai lu Station Eleven qui se déroule dans la même région mais dans le futur ...! Pauvre terre ....
February 6, 2025
2.5 ⭐️ i struggled
February 3, 2025
I find thee exhausting
October 5, 2014
You can also find my review of Voyageurs on my book blog
Voyageurs is a novel about a Quaker from a community in North England who travels to Canada to search for his missing sister, around the time when the US and Britain / Canada were just about to go to war.
It's a slow novel, enjoyable because it puts the reader in a different time, place and culture. Multiple cultures, really: our narrator is a quaker, but he spends time with voyageurs (fur traders), natives, settlers. For most of the book, you don't really know whether the main mystery will be resolved - the odds seem insurmountable. So it's the conflict between a devout pacifist and the various societies readying themselves for war which drives much of the tension. And, of course, the difficulties our narrator has with his own nature (which is somewhat less peace-loving and more capable of lust than he would like).
It's a book with lots of description, quite a few scenes where people sit around and tell each other their life stories (but then, what else would they do when they are stuck with each other for a long time?), and a story which includes the odd moment of shock - but not necessarily tension. Big events happen, but there is rarely build-up. This all contributes to making it a slow read - I enjoyed it for its power of displacing me, and for a sense of a time and a world I had not really thought about very much. But it's definitely no thriller. It almost reads like a good novelisation of non-fiction events (i.e. similar to Nathaniel Philbrick's novels), even though it is pure fiction. That, I guess, is a testament to the attention to detail of the writer.
Voyageurs is a novel about a Quaker from a community in North England who travels to Canada to search for his missing sister, around the time when the US and Britain / Canada were just about to go to war.
It's a slow novel, enjoyable because it puts the reader in a different time, place and culture. Multiple cultures, really: our narrator is a quaker, but he spends time with voyageurs (fur traders), natives, settlers. For most of the book, you don't really know whether the main mystery will be resolved - the odds seem insurmountable. So it's the conflict between a devout pacifist and the various societies readying themselves for war which drives much of the tension. And, of course, the difficulties our narrator has with his own nature (which is somewhat less peace-loving and more capable of lust than he would like).
It's a book with lots of description, quite a few scenes where people sit around and tell each other their life stories (but then, what else would they do when they are stuck with each other for a long time?), and a story which includes the odd moment of shock - but not necessarily tension. Big events happen, but there is rarely build-up. This all contributes to making it a slow read - I enjoyed it for its power of displacing me, and for a sense of a time and a world I had not really thought about very much. But it's definitely no thriller. It almost reads like a good novelisation of non-fiction events (i.e. similar to Nathaniel Philbrick's novels), even though it is pure fiction. That, I guess, is a testament to the attention to detail of the writer.
February 24, 2010
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
I liked this story a whole lot. It is one of those stories that slowly and subtly drew me into the lives of the characters most especially into Mark's life. Through Mark, I was brought into the life of his sister, Rachel. With much interest, I wanted to know what happened to Rachel. I wanted to know her story. For me, Mark's stream of writing was mesmerizing. He included footnotes for which I gravitated towards. I was glad for them as they gave further insight into a location, person, event, etc. I felt the footnotes gave depth to the story while not taking away from the flow of the narration. I did enjoy reading of his interactions with the settlers, Indians and other Quakers. Mark, himself, became intriguing as I grew to love his manner of speech and thoughts along with his persistence and determination. Beyond Mark, what I really loved about Voyageurs was the setting and his travels.
Voyageurs gave an incredible flavor of the Canadian geography during the early 1800's. Through Mark's travels I was given an idea of the hardships and beauty that surrounded those who lived during this time period, in this region. The story along with the map fed my incredible intrigue, and fascination with the geographical layout of the Great Lakes as I have forever pondered how people lived, and survived in this region without the conveniences of today.
Voyageurs is a wonderful story that I really did love.
My Full Review is at Polishing Mud Balls
I liked this story a whole lot. It is one of those stories that slowly and subtly drew me into the lives of the characters most especially into Mark's life. Through Mark, I was brought into the life of his sister, Rachel. With much interest, I wanted to know what happened to Rachel. I wanted to know her story. For me, Mark's stream of writing was mesmerizing. He included footnotes for which I gravitated towards. I was glad for them as they gave further insight into a location, person, event, etc. I felt the footnotes gave depth to the story while not taking away from the flow of the narration. I did enjoy reading of his interactions with the settlers, Indians and other Quakers. Mark, himself, became intriguing as I grew to love his manner of speech and thoughts along with his persistence and determination. Beyond Mark, what I really loved about Voyageurs was the setting and his travels.
Voyageurs gave an incredible flavor of the Canadian geography during the early 1800's. Through Mark's travels I was given an idea of the hardships and beauty that surrounded those who lived during this time period, in this region. The story along with the map fed my incredible intrigue, and fascination with the geographical layout of the Great Lakes as I have forever pondered how people lived, and survived in this region without the conveniences of today.
Voyageurs is a wonderful story that I really did love.
My Full Review is at Polishing Mud Balls
November 10, 2013
I've just finished reading Voyageurs and was impressed from the start with the detail of the research that must have gone into this as well as the way that detail was shared with the reader. When next I go kayaking I will think of this story and the voyageurs paddling the rivers in Canada so long ago. A wonderful observation of their lives and the means and ways they lived them.
Most of all I made a strong connection with the main character and his life philosophy shaped as it is by the Society of Friends. Such a simple philosophy of truth and the light of truth, yet even this was shown to be complex and wrought with factions; a reflection of the times the people were living through and the situations they were trying to survive.
I thought the description of native life was interesting, thoughtful and not overdone with the whole "noble savage" treatment that still occasionally occurs in storytelling.
I would have liked to know more about Rachel but as the story is so much from Mark Greenhow's point of view - what he knew we knew, and some things just can't be shared, or understood, between a sister and brother or a man and woman.
I think I'll keep this one on my bookshelf to read again.
Most of all I made a strong connection with the main character and his life philosophy shaped as it is by the Society of Friends. Such a simple philosophy of truth and the light of truth, yet even this was shown to be complex and wrought with factions; a reflection of the times the people were living through and the situations they were trying to survive.
I thought the description of native life was interesting, thoughtful and not overdone with the whole "noble savage" treatment that still occasionally occurs in storytelling.
I would have liked to know more about Rachel but as the story is so much from Mark Greenhow's point of view - what he knew we knew, and some things just can't be shared, or understood, between a sister and brother or a man and woman.
I think I'll keep this one on my bookshelf to read again.
March 6, 2016
Beautifully written for local color and historical background. I picked this up because I live in the region. There is a restored North West Company fort a few miles from my house. My ancestors were Quaker, so the Quaker voice gave added interest. The story is good. The language is beautiful, but there is too much of it. I found myself skimming large sections and not missing any of the story line. When I finished, I realized that every potential conflict was too easily resolved so that there was never any sustained tension. Mark could forget the purpose of his journey was to search for Rachel and so could we. Except for one easily resolved scene, the War of 1812 remains in the background--something remote that people talk about. Dramatic scenery, dramatic people, but not dramatic story.
February 17, 2024
Being from Michigan and a study of local history, really enjoyed the story line and time period.
February 5, 2020
This formidably researched novel is set mainly in North America before and during the War of 1812 which was fought between the US and Britain (plus its Native American allies) but it is not concerned with that conflict except peripherally. The book is an example of a found manuscript, as supposedly written by Mark Greenhow, a Quaker from Cumbria - topped and tailed by an Editor’s Preface and Afterword, signed MNE, January 2003.
Greenhow was a Quaker from Cumbria. Most of his life was spent on a farm called Highside where the manuscript was ‘found’ hidden away when the ‘editor’ moved in. It reveals Mark’s life was turned upside down when his family received a letter from Canada telling them that his sister Rachel, previousy disowned from the Quaker Society of Friends for marrying her husband, Alan Mackenzie, before a priest, had disappeared somewhere in what was known as Upper Canada and therefore presumed dead. For Mark the ties of family outweighed the strictures of the Society and he resolved to go to Canada and try to find her. All his voyages (barring his final return home) as well as some incidents of his home life in the time before Rachel left for Canada are described in detail. Like most Scottish writers Elphinstone has a gift for landscape description, here deployed to convey the vastness of the North American continent and the local conditions. The customs of the time and the politics of fur-trading by the SouthWest Company are all necessary ingredients to the tale while the background to the war, whose prosecution, barring one small incident, remains off-stage, forms part of the novel’s plot as does Greenhow’s Quaker pacifism - or, I should say, his refusal to be involved in killing people.
The narrative is unavoidably tinged with Greenhow’s Quaker beliefs, with much talk of Monthly Meetings, the vanity of clothing, his soul-searching about relationships with the opposite sex and his failures fully to live up to the Society’s ideals.
A serious injury to Alan, who had additional reasons for undertaking once more the arduous journey to the island where Rachel disappeared, forces the three-man expedition to over-winter in the climate of north Lake Michigan, which even the indigenous peoples find inhospitable, and whose exigencies end up with Mark accommodating to what he considers pagan beliefs. They also bring home the unlikelihood of Rachel having survived. The sojourn also allows the three trapped men the opportunity to tell each other their life stories and so expand Elphinstone’s portrayal of their times. And far from being a hindrance Mark’s refusal to kill people ends up as an asset.
The ‘manuscript’’s text is peppered with Scots words - feart, clarty, grat - which I suppose could easily have been in the Cumbrian vocabulary in the early 19th century but will have to take on trust. And we have footnotes! Always a delight.
It is the characters, though, that shine through. Even the least is given careful consideration and expression. The puzzlement and, on being informed of its significance, the subsequent acquiescence of a local Ojibwa Chief when Mark extends his hand for shaking to seal a deal is a lovely vignette. Elphinstone makes you believe that this is really how people of this time were, and how they lived.
Greenhow was a Quaker from Cumbria. Most of his life was spent on a farm called Highside where the manuscript was ‘found’ hidden away when the ‘editor’ moved in. It reveals Mark’s life was turned upside down when his family received a letter from Canada telling them that his sister Rachel, previousy disowned from the Quaker Society of Friends for marrying her husband, Alan Mackenzie, before a priest, had disappeared somewhere in what was known as Upper Canada and therefore presumed dead. For Mark the ties of family outweighed the strictures of the Society and he resolved to go to Canada and try to find her. All his voyages (barring his final return home) as well as some incidents of his home life in the time before Rachel left for Canada are described in detail. Like most Scottish writers Elphinstone has a gift for landscape description, here deployed to convey the vastness of the North American continent and the local conditions. The customs of the time and the politics of fur-trading by the SouthWest Company are all necessary ingredients to the tale while the background to the war, whose prosecution, barring one small incident, remains off-stage, forms part of the novel’s plot as does Greenhow’s Quaker pacifism - or, I should say, his refusal to be involved in killing people.
The narrative is unavoidably tinged with Greenhow’s Quaker beliefs, with much talk of Monthly Meetings, the vanity of clothing, his soul-searching about relationships with the opposite sex and his failures fully to live up to the Society’s ideals.
A serious injury to Alan, who had additional reasons for undertaking once more the arduous journey to the island where Rachel disappeared, forces the three-man expedition to over-winter in the climate of north Lake Michigan, which even the indigenous peoples find inhospitable, and whose exigencies end up with Mark accommodating to what he considers pagan beliefs. They also bring home the unlikelihood of Rachel having survived. The sojourn also allows the three trapped men the opportunity to tell each other their life stories and so expand Elphinstone’s portrayal of their times. And far from being a hindrance Mark’s refusal to kill people ends up as an asset.
The ‘manuscript’’s text is peppered with Scots words - feart, clarty, grat - which I suppose could easily have been in the Cumbrian vocabulary in the early 19th century but will have to take on trust. And we have footnotes! Always a delight.
It is the characters, though, that shine through. Even the least is given careful consideration and expression. The puzzlement and, on being informed of its significance, the subsequent acquiescence of a local Ojibwa Chief when Mark extends his hand for shaking to seal a deal is a lovely vignette. Elphinstone makes you believe that this is really how people of this time were, and how they lived.
September 26, 2018
Voyageurs is an extraordinary book; at once exciting and elegiac, plain-spoken and poetic, mysterious and informative. The 'voyageurs' of the title appear to be the traders who travel the waterways of early 19th century Canada collecting furs from the Native Americans, but they play quite a small (though colourful) part. The title is more, I think, about the journeys several characters take between continents and between cultures, most centrally the main character and narrator, Mark Greenhow. Mark is an English Quaker, very much the product of his time and place (not just England, but the Lake District), and yet as a Friend he is already an outsider to much of the world around him. He travels to Canada in search of his sister, Rachel, who disappeared in Michigan territory. Against the backdrop of the war of 1812 he encounters new people and places that challenge everything he thought he knew. Throughout he struggles to stay true to his principles and beliefs.
Margaret Elphinstone does a remarkable job of conveying different personalities and points of view; pacifist and defender, native and immigrant, Christian (of various sorts) and "Indian". She demonstrates how much alike all humans are -- and how impossible it is to completely understand a foreign point of view.
Several things emerge clearly: how terrible for the "Indians" (who have an intricate and quite well organised collection of societies, whose land is anything but trackless wilderness) is the incursion of the "White Men"; how unyielding habits of thought are (one character cannot imagine taking a white woman with him into the North, even after his wife has lived among the Ottawa for two years); how much Quaker thinking would benefit us now (imagine plain, honest speaking and open debate leading to consensus, simple living, plain dress ...). Perhaps most of all, how beautiful and precious is the land -- the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands, the Great Lakes -- by extension, everywhere, if we have eyes to see and care to look after it.
The writing is beautiful and assured, reminiscent of the cadences and formalities of the eighteenth century without being difficult, and peppered delightfully with unfamiliar words that (I assume) are from the time but have dropped out of use (or are Quebecois or Ottawa). This makes it feel like the memoir it purports to be, rather than the modern novel it is.
Beautiful and thought-provoking, I highly recommend this to anyone.
Margaret Elphinstone does a remarkable job of conveying different personalities and points of view; pacifist and defender, native and immigrant, Christian (of various sorts) and "Indian". She demonstrates how much alike all humans are -- and how impossible it is to completely understand a foreign point of view.
Several things emerge clearly: how terrible for the "Indians" (who have an intricate and quite well organised collection of societies, whose land is anything but trackless wilderness) is the incursion of the "White Men"; how unyielding habits of thought are (one character cannot imagine taking a white woman with him into the North, even after his wife has lived among the Ottawa for two years); how much Quaker thinking would benefit us now (imagine plain, honest speaking and open debate leading to consensus, simple living, plain dress ...). Perhaps most of all, how beautiful and precious is the land -- the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands, the Great Lakes -- by extension, everywhere, if we have eyes to see and care to look after it.
The writing is beautiful and assured, reminiscent of the cadences and formalities of the eighteenth century without being difficult, and peppered delightfully with unfamiliar words that (I assume) are from the time but have dropped out of use (or are Quebecois or Ottawa). This makes it feel like the memoir it purports to be, rather than the modern novel it is.
Beautiful and thought-provoking, I highly recommend this to anyone.
February 10, 2024
“Voyageurs" by Margaret Elphinstone takes readers on a historical journey into the Quaker world, following Mark's quest to find his missing sister.
The book's historical language, while authentic to the period, posed a challenge for me, making it a somewhat longer read than I would have liked. The story revolves around Mark's travels, encountering various characters along the way, yet surprisingly, the focus on his sister remains somewhat elusive. The book delves into the Quaker way of life, weaving it into the fabric of the journey, but the sister's narrative seems to takes a back seat. The narrative introduces Clemency, a character who adds a refreshing touch to the story and becomes a pivotal part of Mark's life.
Towards the end of the story, we do get a glimpse into Mark's sister's journey, uncovering a poignant and tragic storyline. However, the full depth of her experiences and what follows is a bit tucked away in the narrative, nudging readers to consult the abridged notes for a more comprehensive understanding.
In the end, "Voyageurs" is a commendable historical exploration, but its emphasis on the journey rather than the central plot may leave some readers feeling a bit disconnected. The language, while authentic, can be a stumbling block for those not accustomed to historical prose.
Despite the challenges I had, Margaret Elphinstone's ability to transport readers to a different era is admirable. The book's historical richness and character interactions make it a worthy read for those who appreciate a detailed depiction of a bygone time.
In summary, "Voyageurs" provides a distinctive historical perspective, offering a thorough exploration of the era. I found the insights into the time period interesting. I would rate it four out of five stars, acknowledging the author's efforts in presenting a compelling narrative with historical depth.
The book's historical language, while authentic to the period, posed a challenge for me, making it a somewhat longer read than I would have liked. The story revolves around Mark's travels, encountering various characters along the way, yet surprisingly, the focus on his sister remains somewhat elusive. The book delves into the Quaker way of life, weaving it into the fabric of the journey, but the sister's narrative seems to takes a back seat. The narrative introduces Clemency, a character who adds a refreshing touch to the story and becomes a pivotal part of Mark's life.
Towards the end of the story, we do get a glimpse into Mark's sister's journey, uncovering a poignant and tragic storyline. However, the full depth of her experiences and what follows is a bit tucked away in the narrative, nudging readers to consult the abridged notes for a more comprehensive understanding.
In the end, "Voyageurs" is a commendable historical exploration, but its emphasis on the journey rather than the central plot may leave some readers feeling a bit disconnected. The language, while authentic, can be a stumbling block for those not accustomed to historical prose.
Despite the challenges I had, Margaret Elphinstone's ability to transport readers to a different era is admirable. The book's historical richness and character interactions make it a worthy read for those who appreciate a detailed depiction of a bygone time.
In summary, "Voyageurs" provides a distinctive historical perspective, offering a thorough exploration of the era. I found the insights into the time period interesting. I would rate it four out of five stars, acknowledging the author's efforts in presenting a compelling narrative with historical depth.
December 13, 2017
As a Canadian, it seems strange to read a novel by a Scottish author about Canadian history, but this was very well researched and full of historical detail. The title is a little misleading, as the novel is not really about voyageurs, but more about the War of 1812, and the politics of what was then called Upper Canada. The main character does meet and travel with some voyageurs, but that is not the main focus of this novel. Mark Greenhow is a rather innocent and sheltered young Quaker from England when he sets out for Canada to search for his sister, who has gone missing in the wilderness after traveling there as a missionary and marrying a fur trader. Mark's peaceful Quaker faith is severely tested as he encounters cultures and beliefs very different from his own, and finds himself in the middle of a war. It is interesting to watch his spiritual growth as the story progresses. I can't go into much detail as I don't want to give the story away. This is a very wordy novel that can be slow going at times, which doesn't seem entirely consistent with a Quaker narrator accustomed to plain speech. It did, however, hold my interest throughout, even at a busy time when I didn't have much time or energy for reading, which is testament to the author's ability to tell a good story.
January 18, 2020
This is a voyage of discovery. In the year 1811, Mark Greenhow is a twenty-three-year-old living and working on his family's farm in Cumberland, Northern England. His family and most of his neighbors are Quakers, which means they live plainly and simply, disdain war and violence of any kind, and do not smoke or drink. Which is easy enough to do living in that kind of environment. All of that changes when his sister goes missing. Rachael Greenhow was a Quaker missionary in the Great Lakes area of Canada when she vanishes, and Mark, after discussing it with his parents, vows to make the long journey to find her. Which is much easier said than done. Finally making his way from Montreal to Lake Michigan and the Michigan Territory, he finds himself thrown in with the roughest of fur traders and Native Americans with no law between them. Worse, the British and Americans are still at odds since the Revolutionary War, with the result that the War of 1812 is now breaking out. What seemed so simple back in England is no longer simple, and Mark finds himself questioning his religion at every turn, and making decisions not based on his religious views, but on the situations he comes across. Scottish Author Margaret Elphinstone has certainly done her research here; Voyageurs comes across as epic frontier adventure on a par with the works of James Fenimore Cooper.
February 9, 2021
The premise of writing a novel from some old notebooks found in a loft and trying to stay true to the story by writing the majority of it in the first person and with some of the language of the area (the original notes were written by a Cumbrian) at the time that it was written was sound.
The only real issue that I had with the book was that the original writer was a Quaker and wrote a lot about his faith especially in the first third of the book. Some of this became a little repetitive although as the story unfolded the thought occurred to me that maybe the original notes were written to try to convince himself of his faith. As the story unwound Mark (the original writer) did seem to break many of his own rules as set out by his faith, some due to circumstance and some just basic human desire.
If a reader can wade through the first third then the story becomes quite compelling as the quest to find a sister who may or may not be alive is followed as well as giving good idea of what life was like in 'Upper Canada' and Michigan in the early 1800's; giving an insight into relationships and even friendships that developed between the Europeans and the native Americans.
The only real issue that I had with the book was that the original writer was a Quaker and wrote a lot about his faith especially in the first third of the book. Some of this became a little repetitive although as the story unfolded the thought occurred to me that maybe the original notes were written to try to convince himself of his faith. As the story unwound Mark (the original writer) did seem to break many of his own rules as set out by his faith, some due to circumstance and some just basic human desire.
If a reader can wade through the first third then the story becomes quite compelling as the quest to find a sister who may or may not be alive is followed as well as giving good idea of what life was like in 'Upper Canada' and Michigan in the early 1800's; giving an insight into relationships and even friendships that developed between the Europeans and the native Americans.
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September 11, 2021Entertaining
I just finished this book and I must say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's a slow starter and I almost put it down several times, but stayed with it and I'm glad I did. There was a bit of "information overload" at times but, being a native of Michigan, I particularly enjoyed the references to many familiar places. I actually dragged out my old atlas and followed the canoe trip from Montreal to Mackinac and even watched a YouTube video of a trip down the French River just to get the look and feel of the country Mark was travelling through. The mystery of his missing sister is the driving force and, to my mind, is satisfactorily resolved. I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction. All in all, a very good read.
I just finished this book and I must say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's a slow starter and I almost put it down several times, but stayed with it and I'm glad I did. There was a bit of "information overload" at times but, being a native of Michigan, I particularly enjoyed the references to many familiar places. I actually dragged out my old atlas and followed the canoe trip from Montreal to Mackinac and even watched a YouTube video of a trip down the French River just to get the look and feel of the country Mark was travelling through. The mystery of his missing sister is the driving force and, to my mind, is satisfactorily resolved. I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction. All in all, a very good read.
June 25, 2022
Quotable:
I think the possession of a mechanical device too often allows a man’s innate faculties to fall into disuse. I never dreamed of having either timepiece or compass when I was a lad, and I was never lost or benighted in the hills.
If he were here he wouldn’t mind the cold, or the dirt, or the discomfort – he was used to all that – but he’d miss the folk going by. Not his friends – he didn’t have friends – he used to say friends were an expensive commodity, and very seldom gave value for money – he was a cynic, my uncle.
One gets to a certain point of loneliness where the outside world no longer matters. Anything can happen. There seems no point of resisting. The strange thing is, by not resisting, one finds a way back into the world.
I think the possession of a mechanical device too often allows a man’s innate faculties to fall into disuse. I never dreamed of having either timepiece or compass when I was a lad, and I was never lost or benighted in the hills.
If he were here he wouldn’t mind the cold, or the dirt, or the discomfort – he was used to all that – but he’d miss the folk going by. Not his friends – he didn’t have friends – he used to say friends were an expensive commodity, and very seldom gave value for money – he was a cynic, my uncle.
One gets to a certain point of loneliness where the outside world no longer matters. Anything can happen. There seems no point of resisting. The strange thing is, by not resisting, one finds a way back into the world.
February 28, 2023
The Voyageurs were 18th and 19th century French Canadians who transported furs by canoe at the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places and times where that transportation was over long distances. The voyageurs were regarded as legendary. Wikipedia.
The quest that sets Mark on his journey is gripping, and the history & geography fascinating if a tad confusing. I kept having to flip back to the map. Also I have to say the constant & lengthy footnotes were distracting.
The insights into Quakerism were also interesting.
I do recommend this for anyone travelling in the region, would bring it to life. It made me want to jump in a canoe, the water travel was beautifully described.
The quest that sets Mark on his journey is gripping, and the history & geography fascinating if a tad confusing. I kept having to flip back to the map. Also I have to say the constant & lengthy footnotes were distracting.
The insights into Quakerism were also interesting.
I do recommend this for anyone travelling in the region, would bring it to life. It made me want to jump in a canoe, the water travel was beautifully described.
April 8, 2018
As a Great Lake history fan, this book set in 1811 Michigan was tailor-made. Elphinstone takes us into a "wilderness" teaming with Indian villages, trails, trading posts and forts.
Her fictional story of lost love and harrowing rescue fell short of the mark. (The central question: What happened to Rachel? was never fully explained and the protagonist's hot romance fizzled.)
Still, I was deeply affected by the sympathetic characters and a time and place more often relegated to history's footnotes.
Her fictional story of lost love and harrowing rescue fell short of the mark. (The central question: What happened to Rachel? was never fully explained and the protagonist's hot romance fizzled.)
Still, I was deeply affected by the sympathetic characters and a time and place more often relegated to history's footnotes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2018
Quite enjoyed this book but didn't think it was brilliant. The plot is simply a man (a Quaker) looking for his missing sister. It's set in wild west north America with the native American Indians (as the author refers to the first nation people) much in evidence and being urged to help the British in the war of 1812. The author, herself a Quaker, uses the novel to give us much history about the war, the first nation people of America and Canada, and Quaker history and for me it was all this history, especially of the battles, that made it less than brilliant. However, if you like historically accurate novels with a good plot then this could be the one for you.
July 29, 2023
In a different setting than any other novel I’ve read to date, and within a war involving many nations, this novel is well written and has a good plot. The fur trade over the Great Lakes during the War of 1812 becomes the canvas against which the plot unravel. The main character is a Quaker, treading amongst all sorts of frontier characters & wartime espionage as he searches for his lost sister. Well worth reading!
September 15, 2025
All the French lines were unnecessary and should be translated. Author shows off her French and expects readers to understand it...why?
I liked the book, but there is too much Indian and Canadian lore. You could skip 30 pages and miss nothing significant, no change in this thin plot, drawn out too long.
It's a book within a book style with heavy vernacular dialogue of archaic language.
Too many footnotes. It's a novel, not a history lesson. It needs an index and glossary.
I liked the book, but there is too much Indian and Canadian lore. You could skip 30 pages and miss nothing significant, no change in this thin plot, drawn out too long.
It's a book within a book style with heavy vernacular dialogue of archaic language.
Too many footnotes. It's a novel, not a history lesson. It needs an index and glossary.
February 21, 2020
If you enjoy historical fiction, I would recommend this read. The story takes place in the time period around the war of 1812. What I found interesting was the perspective from a Quaker Englishman. I really enjoyed his struggles with his religious convictions and those people and situations he met on the frontier.
March 17, 2017
I struggled to finish this book and skipped whole chapters which didn't seem to make any difference. I was disappointed that there was not more written about the actual Voyageurs, so the title is somewhat deceptive.
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